It's easy to focus on the bad news coming out of public housing in the Western Addition. Last year's shooting death of 19-year-old Ranisha Raven, violent altercations between gangs, and a recent drive-by have all dominated the headlines. But while these crimes get a lot of press, SFPD says the crime rate in public housing has actually decreased over the past several years, due to a few key factors.
At a Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association public safety meeting last night, Lieutenant Brian Petiti and Sergeant Scott McBride—who are assigned specifically to the public housing projects in Northern District—spoke about their experiences.
Northern Station polices a number of public housing units, including Hayes Valley, Plaza, and the JFK towers at Sacramento and Fillmore. Last year's citywide SFPD redistricting also expanded its boundaries to include Robert Pitts, at Turk and Scott.
Given the recent expansion of Northern Station's territory, two additional officers have been added to the public housing team, bringing the total number (including Petiti) to seven. All seven work as liaisons between SFPD and the residents—you'd be hard-pressed to find a basketball game, fundraiser, or community event where these cops are absent. Through working closely with residents, they're able to spot trouble before it happens, and provide a resource for neighbors in times of need.
Lieutenant Petiti (left) and Sergeant McBride (right) talk to a neighborhood resident at last night's meeting. (Photo: Nuala Sawyer/Hoodline)
When it comes to crimes committed in public housing, property crime and domestic violence top the charts, they say. But crime has dropped across the board in the past few years.
Both Petiti and McBride cited security cameras as one of the main reasons for the decrease. People committing crimes can no longer remain anonymous, as all public spaces in the housing complexes are now monitored. When security cameras get installed, crime immediately drops.
In addition, the relationships being built and the knowledge accrued through years of working in these communities has helped SFPD to identify troublemakers and prevent crimes before they happen. "Scott; the guys on the team; and Pearl, the woman on the team, all know every one of these people by sight," said Petiti. "They can look at a camera photo of the back of someone's head, and say 'That's so-and-so.'"
Part of that accrued knowledge is due to the fact that the officers in the Public Housing unit remain in their positions for many years, with low turnover. McBride has been in his current role for eight years, and Lieutenant Petiti has been working this beat for 10.
"When I grew up in Plaza East, we didn't talk to the police," said District 5 Supervisor London Breed, who was in attendance at the meeting. "But then I bring these guys in, and people are saying 'We want to see you, say hi to us, we want you here.' That's a huge difference."
But in addition to cameras and police presence, there's another, more significant reason for the drop in crime.
"There are a lot of people who are dead; there are a lot of people who are in jail," Breed said. "That's the sad reality of the situation. This cycle of killing started when I was in high school, and from that point forward, it's been going on. Because I grew up here, I'm familiar with it, and it's sad and heartbreaking. You're watching the kids of people you grew up with get pulled into this cycle, and it's hard to break."
"Part of what we've tried to do in this community is create programs that prevent kids from getting involved in the first place," Breed continued. "But if there's a bad home environment, they're not forcing them to be in programs, and it's this cycle."
But Breed also highlighted the good work that is happening quietly in the community. "There's a lot of stuff that happens behind the scenes in order to deal with these problems, and it's really about partnership with SFPD and the community ... It takes a lot of work. The good news is when you don't hear about any situations, that means we're doing our jobs."
The next Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association Public Safety Meeting will take place on April 4th, at the Korean American Center at 745 Buchanan Street. Commander Greg McEachern will be honored for his three years of service leading Northern Station.
